Apply up to 159 effects to your photos

Jump to Section:

For

Against

Sooner or later, everyone wants to do more with their photos than iPhoto allows. FX Photo Studio Pro is potentially the next step, offering editing tools as well as 159 special effects.

FX Photo Studio Pro's interface is simple, easy to use – but also fun. Just drag and drop an image onto it and the program will give you a scrolling set of effects. Click on one to see the 'before' and 'after' versions next to each other and a palette offering you customisation options. Click on the green 'Apply' button to apply it, then continue adding as many effects as you want.

There are also tools for cropping and rotating the image that are just as easy, if not easier to use as iPhoto's.

And there's an Adjust section for changing colour balance, levels, sharpness, noise, shadows and highlights, as well as the usual brightness, contrast, and so on.

You can save the image in formats including raw, JPG, TIFF and CR2, or share the image on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Flickr. You can also share a combination of effects you've used as a 'Preset' – a simple code to type in to recreate the complete set.

FX Photo Studio Pro is a fun, easy tool to use. Many of its 159 effects feel like they're there to bolster the set, rather than because anyone would use them. But there are some decent ones in there.

Still, at nearly £25, it's an expensive app that's halfway to the price tag of Adobe Photoshop Elements. While it's worth considering, do so carefully.